to all our clients, thanks for a great 2009, and for the opportunity to have captured your images.  i’ve selected thirteen of my favorite images from select sessions during the year.  now it’s your turn to choose the 2nd life photography 2009 image of the year.  the person in the winning image will receive a itunes gift card!  the poll will be open until 11:59 pm sunday, january 3, 2010.  the winning image will be posted to the blog on monday, january 4, 2010.  as was true for last year is again effect this year, which is the one vote per person honor rule, as once again we will hunt you down and invoke the atomic wedgie penalty of over voting.  please send our link to anyone you think might be interested in voting.  if you like what you see and want to book a session we are starting to take appointments for 2010.  thanks again for stopping buy.  the voting poll follows at the end of all the images!

cheers-

derek cortvriendt | 2nd life photography

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image # 11 (my daughter lindsey)

image # 12 (my daughter erin)

image # 13 (my wife christine)

As a photographer in very busy studio we have many high school age clients (as well as their older sisters and even mothers)  that ask about modeling as a career.  Modeling is a Plan B career choice, meaning something you do as you going to school working on your Plan A career choice. You have to realize that like acting and singing there are people who are very talented and very beautiful that never go anywhere in these professions.  With that being said, in all of these professions there are countless stories of a person from a small town being discovered.

In preparing to become a model you of course need photos of yourself, with a head shot being the most important.  Many Seniors will use their senior portraits from their Senior Session.  Many models will have a multiply images card designed with the height, weight, dress size etc. typeset over the images as a large business card to send or leave with people you might meet with.  The idea is get started as inexpensively as possible.  Many studios offer “modeling packages” with come with a certain number of images for a portfolio and pre-made cards with your images on them.  The problem with this is the portfolio images look like they were done in one session (which they were).  A portfolio is put together over time with images being taken from different shoots, in different locations, with different style of hair and make-up.  So focus on the card first and “build” a portfolio over time.

Anytime there are many people competing for a few jobs you have people along the way who are “willing to help you” (for a fee of course) or creepy people that take advantage of younger people with ambition.  At the top of the list of those willing to “help you for a fee” are modeling Schools.  They have been around forever, with some being better than others.  Modeling schools don’t guarantee any work resulting from their courses and in fact the vast majority of people that go through modeling schools never have any paid modeling jobs (A model is someone who gets paid for photographs being taken of them).  They do teach things that are important for the aspiring model, but with the price these schools charge and without greatly improving you chances of getting paid modeling jobs, the worth of their education is something you and your parents will have to decide.  The hardest thing to do is use good judgment when you are excited about something and a person is telling you they can help you achieve what you want.  This a good time to talk with parents, teachers or other adults with your best interests at heart.

And then you have the creepy people.  Always take a parent with you to any meeting with anyone.  There are many people out there taking advantage of young people looking at modeling as a career.  In addition to bring a parent for your safety always meet in person in a public place or professional office or studio.  Any professional who can truly help you will have no problem with a parent, guardian, brother or sister being present.  They should also be with you anytime photos are taken and at no time leave the room you are in.

Another problem with a young person choosing a career in modeling is that you have your mother and grandmother telling you that you are so pretty, you should be a model and then you have everyone else telling you not to waste your time pursuing a career in modeling.  It’s hard getting helpful feedback and the worst people for honest feedback is your family.  Every mother and grandmother thinks their daughter/grand-daughter is the most beautiful girl on earth and that is the way it should be, but these people have a bias, since they love you.  As you look at shows like Top Model and others, you will notice that the models are not always the most beautiful people.  They are often very tall, very thin girls that look very average.  There faces don’t have many of the unique qualities of very beautiful people.  These models faces are more of a blank canvas for the make-up artists and photographers to work with. In our studio I will see this often.  A young lady will come in for her session and make-up and she appears very plain, but after her make-up is done and she sits down in front of the studio lights her face comes alive and she looks stunning.

Modeling is a career choice to have fun with.  There are many young people that have never been discovered, but yet had some of the most exciting times of their lives doing a modeling job here or there for one company or another.  The key is to have fun, be safe and plan for modeling to be a secondary career choice while you are going to school for a career that will last a lifetime.

Thelya had a great on location shoot downtown Baton Rouge.  We had so much fun!  Thelya is one of my seniors from Doyle High that came in earlier in the summer and waited to do her on location later.  She did GREAT!

What can I say…Aimee shoot was amazing.  We was able to get her on railroad tracks with a train coming!!    She also brought some adorable rain boots for playing in the fountions…that was fun!  How cool is that!  Aimee is one of my seniors that came earlier in the school year for yearbook shots for Doyle High, but came back later for her on location.  Aimee you did GREAT!

Jamie Kent is a senior at Walker High school, and also hold the title of Miss Walker 2009.  She is an amazing person and such a sweet personality!  We had an amazing time photographing Jamie.   It was a beautiful day when we went for her shoot, and we got some awesome images to prove it! Have a look!

Christian is one of my seniors from Doyle High School.  I adore this young man.  He is one of my students that I really enjoy to photograph.  He is so respectful and just down right sweet.  We ended up in Hammond at the fire station to do Christian’s shoot.  I think he did GREAT!  We also did a few shots with his mother and sister as well as a few with him and his adorable girlfriend.  Thanks Christian for a great time!

~Jennifer

We just recently did Dalton’s On Location part of his senior shoot.  We did his in studio earlier this year for Doyle High School yearbook.  Dalton is my second senior to photograph from his family.  I photographed his sister Jessica from the class of 2008.  The family is such a sweet family.  When we did Dalton’s senior portraits we also did a few shots of him with his sisters for his mother.  I think they all did amazing.  Thanks guys for a wonderful time.

~Jennifer

JLC photo, partnered with Distinctive Gifts , and Music Man’s Music Mart to spread the holiday cheer and take part in walker’s first annual Christmas Decorating Contest.  Alas, we were outdone ( in some opinions…) by two other entries. We are happy to announce that we have come in third place, and welcome everyone to come by and check out our winter wonderland! Be prepared, though, because next year, we plan to go even bigger and win first place!

Tyra Banks would be proud. As I took Bri’s senior photos, I kept thinking, “This girl’s look is FIERCE!”

If this girl doesn’t win Best Eyes for senior supurlatives, I’ll know the vote was rigged! They just pop in every photo. Here are some of my favorites from Lindsey’s senior photo shoot.

This is from a few years ago. I haven’t attempted too many senior portraits in my budding photography career. This young lady swore that there are no nice pictures of her in existence. I beg to differ. She is so beautiful, I could have gotten great results with a kodak slimline camera from the 70’s. She has a great smile. She was really happy when all was said and done. I learned a few more teenage coaxing tricks for smiles. Offer them pizza when you are done!

We pulled on the side of the road when we saw this truck parked out front for sale. Great backdrop.